Considering "Single Payer" Proposals in the U.S.: Lessons from Abroad.

Issue: When discussing universal health insurance coverage in the United States, policymakers often draw a contrast between the U.S. and high-income nations that have achieved universal coverage.

Degenerative disease of the cervical spine and its relationship to athletes.

Each sport presents with unique risk factors and different mechanisms of injury, and therefore extrapolation of the data from one sport to another makes comparison difficult. The current evidence exploring the relationship of athletes and degenerative changes of the cervical spine leaves much to be debated, and future prospective longitudinal studies will be needed to clarify our understanding further. Such research will help structure clinical recommendations and improve sports safety and the care of athletes of all ages.

Predicting morbidity and mortality of lumbar spine arthrodesis in patients in their ninth decade.

Study Design: All patients aged 80 years or older, treated surgically for lumbar spine disorders from 1996 to 2001, were analyzed in a retrospective case series. The purpose of this study was to determine if higher than expected morbidity and mortality was observed for patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery in their ninth decade of life, and if any preoperative factors correlated with this outcome.

Objective: To determine how comorbidity affected surgical morbidity and mortality in patients older than 80 years.

A community-based study of postmenopausal white women with back and leg pain: health status and limitations in physical activity.

Background: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of lower back pain and associated leg pain/numbness in postmenopausal Caucasian women and the relationship of these symptoms to health status and function.

Methods: A convenience sample of 573 white women enrolled in the Observational Study of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) in Pittsburgh completed a questionnaire on low back pain (LBP) and leg pain (LP) and its impact on their daily activity. For data analysis, this information was merged with that obtained under the standard WHI protocol.

Spondylolisthesis in the athlete.

The diagnosis and appropriate management of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis in the athlete can be challenging for the treating orthopaedic surgeon. With an increase in the number of skeletally immature athletes competing at more demanding levels of competition, an associated increase in the number of such cases may be seen. Management strategy is directed by the symptoms, the age of the patient, and the severity of the spondylolisthesis.